The Depths of His Mind
by Caco823
Summary: When Gwen casted a spell over Ben in revenge for ruining her homework, she accidentally expelled him to the depths of his mind, where his physical self was unable to regain consciousness. Now it's up to Gwen to travel into Ben's mind to save him.
1. Curiosity Killed the Cat

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

Full summery -

Takes place at the end of the series, after Gwen transfered to Ben's school. Ben, like the immature, tactless little doofus he was, ruined Gwen's schoolwork and pissed her off. In revenge, the girl tried out a new spell on her cousin, only to underestimate the effects of the enchantment and accidentally banished his soul to the depths of his own mind, so that his consciousness was unable to be retrieved. To save Ben, the only way for the ten year old little girl was to journey through her cousin's mind and get rid of the thing that was imprisioning his soul, but it was easier said than done.

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So, here's my second story. Hope you like it.

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Chapter 1 – Curiosity Killed the Cat

A beautiful afternoon it was. With the sun beaming upon the earth, a slight breeze kissing the pink cheeks of lively children, butterflies of elegance twirling along with the wind, the warm, peaceful atmosphere shattered like glass at the spear of two shrill and furious voices.

"Give it back!" Her emerald green eyes danced with rage and frustration as she desperately tried to keep hold of her precious piece of paper that was slowly slipping out of her fingers.

"Not until you lend it to me for five minutes!" His chocolate brown hair was drenched in sweat in his attempt to pull the paper towards himself against the tug of the girl as he determinedly dug his fingernails at the edge of it.

The girl's eyes widened. "You'll rip it, doofus! Just let go!"

"How about you let go!" The boy gritted his teeth, refusing to release his grasp. "I just need some reference on how to write my conclusion! Then I'll give you back your report!"

A sickening tearing sound issued from between the tug of war of the two cousins as they suddenly found themselves thrown back by an invisible force and hitting the hard concrete floor, aching and sore and each holding half of the prize.

Ben picked himself up and massaged his head, squinting at the piece in his hand. It was the lower part of Gwen's report, which meant he had what he was looking for.

"I'll just borrow this for a sec," he said, gesturing the ripped piece to Gwen, who was still on the ground, holding her sore arm. The boy started tracing his steps back to the classroom.

"Benjamin Kirby Tennyson!" The girl screamed, instantly on her feet. "You come back this instance!"

Ben turned, raising his eyebrows. "What now?"

"You ripped my history report!" Gwen fumed, eyes bulging. "I spent five hours on that!"

"So? You typed it out, remember? You have the softcopy. Just go home and print it out again."

"That's the problem," Gwen hissed in boiling anger, "the report's due today!"

He couldn't get what she was so worked up about. "Then hand it in tomorrow."

"The deduction of marks is ten percent for each day late!"

Ben sighed, rolling his eyes. Trust Gwen to make situations seem worse than they really are. He, personally, couldn't care less about handing in late work. What was the point of getting high marks when all you have to do was pass all the exams if you wanted to ascend to the next grade? Except if you wanted to please the teachers, of course, and judging by Gwen's personality, reaching the teachers' soft spots was her all-time aim.

"Well? How can I help?" Sarcasm was thick in his voice. He held out the second part of Gwen's report. "You want me to help stick the two pieces together for you with some duck tape or something?"

When Gwen remained silent and merely glared, Ben shrugged and trotted back to the building. He still had his own report to finish.

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_Curse that little dweeb! _Gwen blinked back tears as she stared angrily at the miserable piece of what was left of her masterpiece. Sure, she could always print out another copy, but she didn't want to give a bad impression to the teachers, especially when this was the first piece of homework for the year.

She crumpled the paper in her fist, wiping the hot, salty drops away. Crying didn't solve anything. She might just accept the fact that she would get her mark deducted and a little disproval from her history teacher. Or, she could tell on Ben, so she wouldn't get into trouble.

Now that sounded like a plan.

She smoothened out the crumpled piece in her hand as it was evidence that she had really finished her work if she was going to report her cousin to the teacher. Grinning now, she sat down under a shade and took out her most treasured possession – the spell book.

It wasn't really hers to begin with, but finders keepers. Serves Charmcaster right for trying to switch bodies with Ben. Gwen flipped randomly through the pages, going through the spells she has already mastered.

She was grinning at the memory of turning Ben into a hamster as her gaze fell upon the incantation in question when something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. One of the pages of the little book seemed to be sticking out and glittering gold. Curiosity got the better of her and she turned to the page, only to find herself staring at three alien words she had never come across before.

_Poderium exatorcia menterania. _

Confused and puzzled, Gwen blinked. She couldn't understand why she has never seen this page before. It was as if it was suddenly there, with no reason and no source. She turned to the back and discovered a short sentence of description, which she read aloud, but just enough for herself to hear.

_This spell allows enchanter to have total access and domination over another's mind._

"So…it's like a mind-controlling spell?" It seemed a little dangerous, but also powerful and useful if she could master it well. A playful smile spread across the little girl's face as she knew just the person she was going to test the enchantment on.

"Ben!" She was back into the classroom and sitting next to her cousin in a moment, unable to contain the excitement and anxiousness inside her. Thankfully, the room was empty except for the two of them.

The boy looked up from his nearly-done essay, narrowing his eyes.

"What do you want now?" he muttered, obviously annoyed by her interruption that broke his concentration on his homework.

"Nothing much. Just want to try something." Gwen took a deep breath. "Poder_ –"_

"Wait!" She was cut short by Ben's alarmed yell as he leapt out of his seat in panic. "If this is another spell to turn me into some kind of a rat or something, then I'm out of here!"

"No," Gwen stated calmly, forcing him back down. "Nothing like that. Just cooperate for a bit, will ya?" She started again. _"Poderium..."_

A blue light started issuing from within the girl's right hand, glowing brighter and stronger by the second, and both cousins watched in wonder and awe. Encouraged that something was happening, Gwen continued.

"…_exatorcia…"_

Out of her fingers a long tentacle of blue energy emerged like a slithering snake as the classroom was filled with a sound of cracking lightning. It circled her hand once, creating some kind of a blue circle, then shot straight into the boy's chest and vanished from sight.

"Wait!" There was fear in his voice as Ben grasped the front of his shirt. "What are you –"

"…_menterania!"_

Gwen gasped as the radiance in her hand grew larger and larger until she was blinded by a great flash of blue. She squeezed her eyes shut against the rays that pierced even through her eyelids, the sudden explosion of brilliance causing taking her by surprise and causing her to fall out of her chair.

There was a sound like a razor gun being shot, and then everything returned to normal. The blue brightness was gone. Everything was in place; the blast of light did not blow the classroom apart.

Ben materialized behind a desk as he scrambled back up, panting, leaning against the table for support. "What was that all about?" he demanded crossly, clutching his shoulder. He seemed to have tumbled off his chair too.

Gwen shook her head, more perplexed than ever. The spell…did it work? She glanced at Ben, who didn't seem to be affected by the enchantment at all. She frowned, racking her brains for anything that might have made her spell fail. She was doing alright at first, wasn't she? And until the end, she even caused some kind of an energy bomb to blow up.

"Guess the spell just didn't work, then?" Ben's distant voice drifted through her ears, knocking her out of her deep thoughts.

"I guess…" Thoroughly disappointed, she slumped against one of the desk's legs, holding her head. Was she still too weak to attempt any of the stronger spells? It had seemed easy when she first saw the incantation, and she has been practicing her magic for quite a while now.

"Don't worry," Ben snickered, gathering up his draft papers and his report, "I'm sure you'll manage it in a few hundred thousand years or so."

"Urgh!" Gwen glowered, starting to get quite mad. "Just shut up!"

"Why should –"

It happened so quickly that neither of them were braced for it. Without warning, the boy's form went rigid, his eyes flashed blue and his hands trembled uncontrollably. As if frozen from head to toe, he stared blankly forward, silent and stiff like a board.

"Ben?" The red-headed girl reached out for the boy, shaking him slightly, concerned. "Ben?" She shouted a little more worriedly, when she could receive no reaction from him. Her cousin did nothing but stand and stare straight ahead, lips slightly parted. His skin was pure cold. His toxic green eyes were unfocused and there was neither light nor life in them.

"Ben!" Gwen was now yelling frantically into his face. Could it be…the mind-controlling spell! _Oh, what has she done to him? _

"Talk to me!" Tears were starting to fall, no matter how many times she told herself that breaking down was not a solution to most problems.

"Please!

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So...how was that? Please review!


	2. Trapped in Void

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10

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So...what's happening to Ben? On with the story!

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Chapter 2 – Trapped in Void

Ben spun around, adrift and scared out of his skin. He was hovering in void, all alone, floating without control. He lifted his arm in front of him, reaching out to anything at all, but to his horror he couldn't see a foot ahead of him; his hand was swallowed by the darkness.

He wasn't falling, so gravity didn't exist in this world. The only known place in the world where there was no gravity was in space, but he wasn't choking to death or blowing up due to his lack of a spacesuit. Sure, it was dark, but instead of being lit up by billions and trillions of stars, there was an eerie green light that simply existed without a cause, swirling like an ethereal mist in the sea of black.

"Gwen?" His shaking voice echoed into the dark, despite that there was nothing in sight for the sound waves to be rebounded back. The place, like the Null Void, seemed to go on forever. A chill went up his spine as the thought that he might be in hell, but he couldn't remember dying.

Something blue shot past him, something like an arrow, but it was so fast he was unable to get a glimpse of it. There was something very familiar about it though, but he just couldn't tell what.

Another flash of blue behind him, and he has had enough.

"Who's there?" he cried aloud with an inexplicable sense of foreboding. There seemed to be a problem with his vocal chords, because his words came out in a strangled hiss.

"ARGH!" He screamed in shock and horror when something like a rope wrapped itself around his ankle, tugging at his feet and tightening its grasp by the moment. Instinctively he bent down and tried unwinding the cord, only to find that it was a glowing tentacle of energy, not unlike the one Gwen has sent his body in her attempt to perform her spell.

However, the moment his fingers came into contact with creepy, snake-like tendril, it sent a wave of shock towards down his body, draining him of all energy. As though the thing that bounded his ankle was an electric cable, he felt burned and cut into two by some sword of serious agony.

Ben was only too grateful when the tentacle did nothing else but held him in place. He hoped that things couldn't be worse, but he was proven wrong almost the very instant.

He started to shiver when the temperature around him dropped like a stone from the top of a mountain. With the icy frost biting his skin, his fingers turned numb and he found difficulty in breathing, as if his windpipe itself was frozen. In his useless efforts to suck in breath he felt intense pain in his chest, and the lack of oxygen slowly caused his vision to blur. Ben struggled to stay awake, but all in vain. He felt his consciousness slip away from him like a ghost from a dead body.

_Talk to me!_

He knew the voice…he wanted to shout out for help…but he was too weak…

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"Gwen?"

The heavy rock in her heart lifted when he finally turned to her, the glitter and life returning to his emerald orbs and the coolness of his skin starting to warm up. Sighing in relief, she let go of her cousin, collapsing onto the chair behind.

Ben stared at the red-headed girl, feeling confused. He felt shaken, as if he'd just been dumped into a pool of ice-cold water or being possessed by some ghost, but he couldn't remember the details. All he remembered was being stuck in the dark, but that was simply lame and impossible, as it one o'clock in the afternoon and the sun was shining brightly into the classroom.

"What's with the crying?"

Gwen's head snapped up to see the boy's puzzlement written all over his features. Wiping the wetness from her eyes with slight embarrassment, she couldn't help but feeling extremely mystified too

Ben seemed to be unaware of what just occurred himself. He had gone all strange and zombie-like, but he was in no freezing spell. She wondered if it was the side-effects of her unsuccessful mind-control enchantment. If so, she was in deep trouble, for she has no idea how to reverse the effects.

Gwen found her cousin peering into her face. "Hey, I asked why you were crying."

She needed to think alone. Some peace and quiet would really do when her mind was all messed up. The last thing she needed was a cousin who would bug the answers out of her or annoy her to death if it was the last thing he did. "No reason," she replied, feeling plain exhausted, "just get out of my sight for a while."

History repeated itself. His eyes flashed indigo for a split of a second, his whole body tensed and freezing, and his face became rid of all expressions. Noticing the familiar symptoms, Gwen shot up from her seat, terrified. _What has she done again?_

"Ben!" And yet there was no reply, for at that moment the boy dashed out of the room as if being chased by some wild alien. Panicked, Gwen stumbled over her chair and raced after him, only to find no sign on her cousin anywhere in sight.

"Huh -?" Gwen stared open-mouthed, completely out at sea. "Why -?"

Then realization dawned on her as she gazed at the empty corridor and a small gasp escaped her lips. So the enchantment was successful after all…she HAD mastered the spell. Her apprehension and fear was replaced by the utmost relief and just a little bit of naughtiness as a tiny evil grin took form on her face.

She told him to shut up, and he did, almost choking onto his tongue. She told him to get out of her sight, and he obeyed, too. She figured it she told him to dunk his head into the toilet bowl, he wouldn't hesitate one bit.

_This could get fun_, the girl mused as a million twisted ideas to humiliate her cousin flashed across her mind's eye. Though the fact that Ben would turn all creepy like some living-dead still bothered her to some extent, in her thrill and determination to get to Ben, all 'unnecessary' thoughts were thrown away into some nearby trashcan.

_Time for some payback,_ Gwen smirked to herself.

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This was definitely not his day.

The boy was drenched in sweat in his considerable efforts to resist against the strong energy bounds that snaked around his wrists, pulling him forwards. To where, he didn't know, but he was sure he wouldn't enjoy his little visit there.

"Let…go…!" His choked voice was swallowed up instantly by the void, and only his feeble echoes answered him. He cried out in anguish when the cords tautened around his wrists, cutting his circulation and turning his hands numb and cold.

"Help…!"

Where was the Omnitrix when you needed it? The most powerful weapon in the universe was no longer on his left wrist, but vaporized into thin air the moment he landed into this world of emptiness and doom. He could have turned into Grey Matter and darted out of the way, or Heatblast so that he might fight the evil tentacles off, but no! He was stuck in his powerless human form, unable to change into any of alien superheros.

_There has to be a way out of this…there has to be a solution…_

How had he ended up in this abyss of trouble and misfortune? As far as he could remember, this wasn't the first time that he had gotten trapped in this spooky empty space. It had to be the fifth time or the sixth, or was it his eighth trip already? He couldn't be sure. The wires in his head were all crossed. He was incapable of thinking straight.

Ben flinched as something slippery made its way around his neck, strangling him from behind. His terror and anxiety grew; his eyes were wide with dread when the tendril circled up his neck and around his face, silencing him. The boy felt the rubbery taste on his lips, the gag imprisoning his shouts for help and cries of fright within his mouth.

He was exhausted and all ready to give up. His struggles were to no avail; he was losing the fight. He relaxed for once and let the bonds pull him forwards into the forever darkness without resistance.

Ben wasn't sure if he was going to die, but at that moment, he couldn't care less. All he wanted was some rest and tranquility, and perhaps death was going to give it to him.

_Okay, now, come up!_

It was the familiar voice again! It seemed to be coming from no specific direction, but a little hope fluttered in his heart. If memory served, the voice was the key to the exit of this world the last time he had landed here…

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Poor Ben. Gwen has no idea just what's happening in her cousin's head.

Please review!


	3. Into His Head

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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Third chapter's up! Here's where the real adventure really begins!

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Chapter 3 – Into His Head

The first thing that he felt was his sore kneecaps hard against the cold stone floor. It had taken him five whole seconds before he noticed that he was kneeling in front of a toilet bowl, stinking and drenched.

"Wha -?" He gasped, flabbergasted, choking on the reeking smell that wafted off him.

His mind was a blank piece of paper. How did he wind up getting himself thoroughly soaked in toilet water? He stood up from his position shakily, supporting half his weight onto the cubicle partition, knees groaning in protest. He certainly did not recall and shouldn't be stupid enough to plunge his head into the toilet bowl, should he? Unless it was the work of Cash and JT, his personal bullies, but there was no sign of the two, nor the sound of their laughter.

He had no memories of getting to the WC either, yet that hardly mattered at the moment, for all he wanted was to get himself cleaned up. Staggering, he dragged himself to the sinks, suddenly feeling weak and shattered. _What is wrong with me?_

As his head started to work again, he was vaguely reminded of some of the day's weirder events, and he shuddered at the thought. There was a time when he opened his eyes and saw his own history report torn to pieces, another occasion where he found himself hanging on the top of the roof without knowing how he got there, and also once when he lost his pants right in the middle of the basketball court and the whole world laughed at him.

And that wasn't all. How could he explain why his schoolbag was suddenly in the trash can, or how he caught himself chasing girls around like an idiot, or just what came to him, for instance, that time when he threw his peanut butter and jam sandwich at his homeroom teacher Mr. Green?

Ben groaned, grabbing his hair as if in attempt to pull them all out. Was he going crazy? Or was he losing memory?

He didn't want to know.

The brunette cupped tap water in his hands and splashed it violently against his face repeatedly, trying to wash off the stench. He seriously needed a bath, but there were no shower rooms in this elementary school.

Then something exploded inside his skull as dizziness took over, forcing him to his knees, pain dominating the whole of his body. He wheezed, clutching his head, trying to clear himself from the agony.

"Gotta…get…to…Gwen…!" He struggled to get out the washroom, so sure that his cousin would be able to find the problem and cure him. Gwen's spell book had to have some kind of enchantment that would get rid of the pain. Magic was supposed to solve almost everything, right?

"Hey there, doofus?"

_Speak of the devil._

Gwen's head poked out from the doorway, peering into the boy's locker room. It was with a snicker on her face that she said, rather mockingly, "Whoa. Did you fall into the toilet or something?"

"Gwen…!" Ben grabbed his hurting chest, panting. He reeled towards his cousin, squinting at the little red-head as his vision started to dim.

"Ben?" The boy made an effort to heave himself onto Gwen for support, but his lack of strength and the increasing pain denied him, causing him to fall to the ground at the girl's feet, eyes closed, twitching. It was only then when Gwen noticed the severity of the situation.

"Ben, what's wro –?"

A thought struck her like lightning and made her blood run cold. Surely, it couldn't be her spell again? The book never mentioned anything about causing the victim of the enchantment to suffer from any negative effects…

The incantation...it was just one of the many magic charms, right? Certainly not some curse or hex…Charmcaster wasn't that evil, was she? The villain, she really wasn't that powerful to have invented spells that could cause too much damage, right?

Gwen shivered at the coldness of her cousin's skin that was slowly spreading up her arm from her fingertips. _What was happening?_

"Ben!" It was all too much for the young girl when her cousin suddenly stopped moving altogether, limp on the ground. Gwen hastily stooped down on him and held Ben's torso in her arms, her heart beating wildly, feeling for a pulse on his neck. Thankfully, the little thump was just beneath her fingers, slow but steady.

"This is beyond me…" Gwen whispered, her throat suddenly dry. Dragging Ben up, she tried to keep the tremendous trepidation out of her voice as she called for help down the corridor.

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"Honey, can you tell us what happened?"

Gwen kept her gaze on her shoelaces. For some particular reason, they were extremely interesting and entertaining. "Um…" she started, fumbling for words. You couldn't really expect her to tell the truth, but she was one terrible liar; a story that she came up with might not convince the medical agent but only lead to suspicion on her part. "Ah…I found him in the toilet. I have no idea what made him like that."

The doctor raised her eyebrows and stared at Gwen curiously. "You were in the boy's washroom…?"

The redhead found her cheeks heating up. "No! I mean, I was just passing by…" she faltered for a bit, considering the fact that she was actually right outside monitoring Ben's movements all the time, "…and then he stumbled out and fainted."

They were in the hospital, right outside her cousin's private room. Ben's parents have been notified right after Gwen raised the alarm to the teachers, and Carl and Sandra were on their way to see their son.

The doctors examined Ben for over half an hour, but had no success in finding the cause of his coma. There were no signs of physical injury, internal or external. There was no concussion. No drugs have been detected in his blood. In fact, the boy was in perfect health. He was visibly in some kind of sleep, yet it was still a mystery why he remained comatose and refused to be awoken.

Of course, there was also the matter of why he was soaked in toilet water that stupefied the doctors, but Gwen had quickly passed it off as the result of bullying in school.

After many failed efforts to bring Ben back to his senses (including one with Gwen slapping his cheeks as hard as she could before she was restrained), the physicians sighed in submission and left the room with miserable expressions and slumped shoulders. Once the room was left deserted except for the cousins, Gwen edged towards the brunette and placed a hand on his slowly heaving chest.

Even the supposed warmest part of one's body was chilly for the boy on the bed. A soft whimper escaped the girl as she silently ached for her cousin's pain. Gwen had as far as wanted to splash a whole bucket of water onto Ben in order for him to come round (that never happened, for she was held back, of course), but that was only because she wanted everything to be alright again. She just couldn't bear the truth that the current state of affairs might be entirely her fault.

_Don't cry! _Gwen held down a tear that was threatening to roll down her cheek. _You've shed enough tears for one day. Being a crybaby isn't going to help Ben!_

The little girl sniffed. She dabbed the corner of her eyes with her sleeve. She took and deep breath and held herself together.

Clearing herself from all emotions, Gwen analyzed the conditions before her.

One, there were no bodily damages, so it can be assumed that there was something wrong with his mind.

Two, she had tried to cast a mind-dominating spell on Ben (which now, thinking back, that was just plain evil of her) which kind of supported her first assumption.

And three, if she were to find the problem at all, the only way was to dive into Ben's head, and which also was the scariest idea she'd ever come up with.

"I guess I don't have a choice…" It was her mistake that cost Ben his consciousness, and it was her responsibility to fix him up. She shut her eyes and sighed. All she wanted was a little revenge and a little fun, and see where that had gotten her!

Despite the fact that there was a ten percent possibility that the spell would go wrong and that she might be stuck forever in the little dweeb's mind (and that was according to the little book of magic), she was willing to take the risk. _It'll be like an adventure_, Gwen told herself encouragingly. _I get to see what's it like the inside of my cousin's head and fight off whatever's that inside him that's keeping him asleep…_

So, looking braver than she felt, Gwen placed a trembling hand on her cousin's forehead. She took a glance at the words on the page. "Er…enfuci –"

But before she could finish her words, a pinkish, purplish orb of radiance was produced from her hand. Gwen gasped in surprise, bracing herself.

Before she knew it, she was standing on a beach.

"What in the world?"

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Yeah, that's it. Anyone have any idea what's happening here? Please review!


	4. The Sands of Euphoria

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10.

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So...Gwen is finally inside Ben's head...or is she? Do people normally have beaches inside their brains? Read to find out!

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Chapter 4 – The Sands of Euphoria

Warm, soft sand were under her feet, tickling her toes. She dug her feet inside the ground, feeling the texture against her skin.

The sun was setting in the distance, a golden orb of brilliance, magnificent in the seas of crimson. It sat on the horizon, peeping towards the shore, releasing the last of its glow and heat for the day.

The sky was clear, cloudless and vibrant, dappled with lilacs and magentas and cherries and yellows. The warm colours of the heavens contrasted greatly with the midnight blue of the ocean, the waters that swayed to gentle winds that carry the aroma of freshly made pancakes.

Wait.

_Pancakes?_

Gwen turned to the direction of which the pleasant smell was coming from, and to her utmost surprise she saw something that was entirely out of place – a rusty, ancient RV.

"Grandpa?" The girl wondered aloud, just too sure who the vehicle belonged to. She raced towards the Rustbucket, with a little difficulty for the sand was slipping away from her feet, but halted in her tracks in front of the door.

_Wait a minute_, she reminded herself, _I'm here to save Ben, not fooling around. Although I have no idea why I'm here the first place…unless this IS the inside of Ben's head…the seaside._

If the whole of her cousin's mind was just the beach and Grandpa's RV, she really couldn't decide if she'd like to go inside her own head if she had the chance.

Nevertheless she tried to peep into her grandfather's mobile home through the windows, looking for clues. To her disappointment the curtains were drawn, but fortunately she heard voices, which meant there were people in there. Maybe of Max was really here, then he'd be able to tell her how to get Ben to wake up.

With a bang that made Gwen jump out of her skin, the door of the Rustbucket slammed open and a child leapt out, yelling nothing in particular in his excitement. His toxic green eyes flashed with thrill and joy as his brown hair danced against the wind while he ran towards the sea.

"Ben?" In her amazement Gwen's voice was suddenly an octave higher. She made an attempt to grab for her cousin, but a shrill cry from behind distracted her, causing her to momentarily glance at her back.

There was a little girl with flaming red hair tied in pigtails, brandishing the bucket and spade in her hand and screaming in delight. She jumped from the RV and onto the sandy ground, only hesitating to give a radiant smile that matched her emerald green eyes at whoever was in the Rustbucket before dashing off with the boy.

The girl ran past Gwen as if she wasn't there at all, and suddenly the ten year old understood why everything seemed so familiar.

This beach, with this sunset, with Grandpa's RV and all – she was here before.

Gwen gazed at the little brunette now splashing water at the girl and wondered why she hadn't noticed it before. She was right, the boy was Ben; the same coloured hair, the same green eyes, and the all too typical cheeriness and laughs. The only difference between the cousin she knew and the one in front of her was an age difference of six years. The child was shorter, chubbier, and much more carefree.

And the girl in pigtails, she was the younger version of Gwen herself. It was weird alright to see her childhood play like a movie in front of her eyes, but she was enchanted in the magic of it all. It had been a while since she screamed her lungs out and not feel embarrassed afterwards, but it had been even longer time that she had cried out due to her bliss and joyfulness.

When was the last time she actually laughed because she was truly happy, and not because of a joke that she heard or a prank that she had played a prank effectively on Ben? When was the last time she didn't have to worry about not getting 'A's in her schoolwork, and could enjoy herself as freely as she could? Or, she asked herself, when was the most recent occasion in which she didn't bring a book to the beach?

"I suppose if I'm in Ben's head right now, then I'm looking at his memories," Gwen said quietly, staring longingly at the two four year old children, splashing in the waves. She smiled without realizing it. "One of his happiest ones."

Gwen remembered this recollection as if it were yesterday. It was her fourth birthday (Ben's too, naturally), and Grandpa had volunteered to bring her and Ben to the beach. As far as she could recall, they had the best time of their lives, and yes, her grandfather had changed his habits for the day just for the two cousins and made pancakes instead.

"You know what Grandpa gave me?" Gwen eyes fell on Ben as he shouted over the sound of the waves crashing towards the shore to his cousin.

"Let me guess!" The little girl yelled gleefully as she managed to tackle her cousin and knocked him underwater, where he emerged a second later, still laughing. "Sumo Slammers cards?"

"Ya got it!" Ben wiped away the stinging sea water from his eyes and grinned broadly. "What about you? What did Grandpa give you?"

"A Barbie doll," the girl replied, putting strands of her wet hair out of her face. "It's okay nice, but Grandpa should know that dolls are only for little kids."

Ben made a face. "You're a little kid!"

"I might be only four, but **mentally** I'm all grown up, unlike somebody I know!"

At this Gwen had to swallow a laugh as she watched herself bickering with the little dweeb. Seriously, the two of them have been fighting before the learned to talk, but it warmed her to know that there was no hurtful intention behind their words. It was all part of their bond in being twin cousins.

"Hey, Gwen, check this out!"

At the call of their name both girls automatically turned their heads to look at Ben, whose face was shimmering in excitement as he dived underwater as if finding a treasure on the ocean floor. The younger girl cocked her head, eyes bursting with curiosity as she waited slightly impatiently for the boy to appear again. The older Gwen, however, knew just what it was all about and grinned to herself. She knew that in a moment's time her cousin would resurface with his most interesting find of all (except for the Omnitrix, needless to say, but as the kids were only four, the alien watched has not been discovered yet).

But Ben never came back up. Minutes passed by, but there was still no sign of the boy, nor the pearl oyster he was supposed to have unearthed. The four year old girl still stood silently by the shore, the water up to her hips, waiting for the surprise.

"Honey!" Grandpa's booming voice came from the RV, loud enough to be heard over the sea. "Pancakes are ready!"

"I'm coming, Grandpa!" Little Gwen's shrill voice yelled back towards the portable house. "Just wait a minute!"

The real Gwen, however, was getting worried. She certainly had no memory of this part of incident. She glanced towards the sea, now in an even darker shade of blue as the sun was setting fast; there was still no Ben.

Her instincts told her that the boy was in trouble. Gwen mentally smacked herself hard in the head for not noticing the gravity of the situation sooner. She ran towards the sea, the sand slowing her down. Gulping down as much air she could hold in her lungs, she dived into the water, with clothes and all, with only one aim in mind – get to the boy.

Her skin screamed at the cold sensation of the sea that she wasn't used to, but Gwen kept pressing herself forwards. She couldn't really see ahead of her, yet that didn't stop her from reaching about her surroundings, hoping to grasp on her possibly drowning cousin.

_This didn't happen!_ Gwen thought desperately, hoping that everything was just a dream. It had been more than five minutes that Ben had plunged into the water, and from what she knew, it only takes two to three for a person to drown. _This isn't what happened. This isn't part of the memory! This isn't happening!_

Then at the tip of her outstretched fingers she felt something hard brush against her skin. Her heart almost skipping a beat, she opened her eyes wide and did her best to squint at whatever that was in front of her.

Only to find that she had somehow teleported to the living room of her aunt and uncle's house.

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Whew! Another chapy's done. Took me long enough! Anyone know what's happening here and why Gwen's always landing in unexpected places? Maybe the name of the chapter might give you some clue.

Review please!


	5. Poignant Desolation

Disclaimer: I don't own Ben 10

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Phew! After three weeks of homework times infinity, I'm back! Just want to say I'm sorry for the relatively long wait. I usually update every three days, but since school's starting, things change.

I'm glad that there're actually people who look forward to reading the story. So let's not hold you guys back any longer – on with the story!

Oh, and since I haven't written for quite a while, the style might be a little changed. Also, a little warning for some OOC on Sandra's part.

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Chapter 5 – Poignant Desolation

Gwen swallowed her perplexity as the environment around her started to fall into place. The red carpeted floor, the familiar shelves, the 27 inch TV, the priceless vase that Grandpa Max sent his daughter-in-law three years ago…yup, this was Ben's home, alright. How she transported from the sea to a living room and find herself perfectly dry, she had no idea, but with all those 'wonderful' recollections of the previous summer stuck permanently in her head, she knew that anything was possible.

With an awkward giggle of discomfiture, she pulled back her hand which was resting upon the top of the leather sofa, inches from a head of middle-length blond hair. Something at the back of her skull beeped and told her that the hard, rough surface she felt when she was underwater was the skin of the couch, but she hardly paid any attention to that thought. Taking a few steps backwards, she realized that the little waterfall of gold could only belong to her aunt Sandra. Assuming that she was currently another one of Ben's memories and that she was invisible in them, she walked about freely until she was looking at Sandra at a different angle, where she could clearly see her face.

It didn't take an expert to note that Sandra Tennyson was not happy. Her brows were furrowed, her grayish-green eyes were slits and her lips pressed together in a thin line. Her features showed every sign of impatience and anger, which usually was not shown but hinted in her words. Gwen flinched at the sight of her aunt's rare frown. The source of her irritation was clear as crystal as Gwen spotted an abused piece of paper Sandra crunched up in her hands which the girl recognized to be the Math test on algebra held approximately a month ago.

The sound of a door opening and slamming shut came from behind me as my aunt's look became even uglier.

"And what," Sandra's voice was quivering dangerously. Her claws tightened around the test paper as she held it up in front of her face, "is the meaning of this?"

"But, Mom! I've tried my best!"

Despite the fact that I was well aware that Sandra has to be talking to somebody, I jumped at the sound of my cousin's voice on the other side of the room. Ben's usual bright green eyes were dull with exhaustion as he leant against the wall for support, wiping sweat from his forehead that drenched his brown hair.

"Benjamin Tennyson, you come here and sit down!" Sandra's raised voice was more intimidating than Gwen has imagined. "We need to talk!"

"I just came back from football practice!" The boy protested, slamming down his school bag furiously. "Give me a minute in the shower, won't you? I'm reeking!"

"No!" The mother demanded with much force as she jumped to her feet, and Gwen secretly thanked her lucky stars that she didn't have Sandra Tennyson as her mother. "This has gone to the extent where it can no longer be tolerated!"

Sympathy wafted around Gwen as Ben's shoulders slumped and his tired face replaced by the look of utmost depression. The next fifteen minutes was both a nightmare for Gwen and her cousin as aunt Sandra's heated tones continuously boomed against her eardrums, and yet the volume of her voice was not the worst part of her "speech". It was her choice of words in her telling off that hurt the most.

Gwen has always known that while boys' fights might bring quite a lot of physical injuries, the insults that girls throw at each other can bring pain ten times worse. Since males are simply not used to spiritual damages, one random offense may lead to a more harm to the spirit than expected. Apparently, Aunt Sandra had no idea about how boys work, for she hesitated not and shot all her very-insulting flames in one go without coming up for air.

"I cannot believe you, Benjamin! You've had all summer to improve your Mathematics, but what did you do? You just had to waste the precious time away by going on some lame camp with your grandfather. Didn't I tell you to bring the worksheets with you? No, you had to leave them at home. With much intention, I should think! What is the meaning of bringing a D- home every other time there is a test? I had straight 'A's when I was your age, and even your father scored an average of B+ in the SAT. No parent wants their child to do poorly in the academic fields. Why can't you try not to be such a disappointment to your mother and father? Do you think they are going to let you enter college if your Math doesn't get better? You'll never get a job!"

Occasionally Ben would argue back, saying how he was already putting in all his effort on the subject, and how he just wasn't good with numbers, and how he did actually attempted to do the Math worksheets his mother assigned him. However, he was always punched back by Sandra, who retorted stating that he was only making up lame excuses and how everybody should be able to achieve their desires if they only put their heart in it.

It pained young Gwen's heart to witness her cousin's features so similar to a pathetic, beaten-up dog as the boy shrunk lower and lower in his seat. It pained her even more when Sandra started comparing me with my cousin.

"I simply don't understand it! Gwen does fine, doesn't she? She gets the 'A's, she's a piano eight grader, she has a brown belt in judo, and she even paints well! Why do Frank and Lily get to have such a perfect child when Carl and I are stuck with a useless son who sucks at almost everything except football?"

The red-head winced at the woman's words, but her reaction to the rant was nothing compared to the boy's. Ben hung his head, his eyes gradually misting up.

"Now don't you dare cry in front of me, young man! We don't want a crybaby in the house! If you really feel bad, go prove yourself capable by lifting up your Math average mark!"

At the word Sandra waved her son off, and Ben never looked back as he raced up the stairs and shut himself in the bathroom. A soft, blurred sound of sobbing still managed to find its way out of the splash of the shower and the thick, wooden door. Gwen stood directly on the other side, feeling extremely terrible. She can almost understand why Ben never really got along well with her when they were younger. With his mother constantly reminding him how his cousin beat him at every aspect, there was no way Ben could develop a friendship with Gwen, that is, until the summer of the discovery of the Omnitrix. Those three months brought the cousins much closer than before, thickening the bonding between them. There was even a small trace of fondness that Gwen has developed for the happy, energetic, brown-haired boy, which, most ironically, was presently crying in the showers.

The idea that Sandra might be a mother with high expectations of her son never occurred once to Gwen in all her eleven years of life. To her, her aunt was the most loving mom in the world, one who has respected and accepted her child just the way he was. Now, perceiving the true side of her aunt's character, her impression of Sandra made a sharp 180 degree's turn.

Gwen was so absorbed in her thoughts that she was only aware of the shadow of her cousin in the last second when he disappeared into his room. He had walked right past her without her noticing. Seeing that she was teleporting nowhere for the time being and deciding that it wouldn't hurt to find out how Ben handled the "Mum" problem, Gwen followed him into the dark, gloomy bedroom.

She was surprised when Ben completely ignored the light switch and chose to stay in the dark. Instead, he dived straight towards the telephone and punched the buttons. As the all-too familiar dial tone rang out loudly in the room, Gwen felt her heart sink. Feeling, if possible, even more awful, Gwen knew exactly where this was leading to, and she didn't like it.

Gwen thought of escaping before that happened, but an invisible held her back, forcing her to watch as the scene unfolded. The silence in the room was so thick that Gwen could hear the ringing from the receiver even those the phone wasn't on speaker. The tone repeated for three times before she heard her own voice coming from the other end. "Who's this?"

"It's me, your cuz." Ben's voice, miraculously, showed no sign of negative emotion. As a matter of fact, he seemed even slightly cheerful. This made Gwen ponder on the extent on which Ben could successfully mask his feelings. "You got time?"

"Just state it quick." Her voice from the phone was irritated, annoyed. Gwen remembered this conversation as if it were yesterday. If memory served, she was in the middle of her book "Gone with the Wind" on page five hundred and three when her cousin called. It was no wonder she sounded edgy. But now she seriously regretted her attitude towards Ben on the phone that night; only currently did she know just what the boy was going through, and yet she hadn't exactly been all nice to him when he called and stated his request.

"I need a tutor," Ben said quietly, without a trace of embarrassment. "I need someone to help me with my Math."

"And you're telling me…because?"

The boy took a deep breath. "I was wondering if you could help me."

Gwen's voice from the receiver was questioning. "Why not ask the teacher? Or your mom and dad?"

"I – you know Mr. Brown, he never really encourage students to ask questions." Ben was twitching uncomfortably as he said it. His eyes darted from the ceiling to the floor as he fumbled for a lie. "And my parents are always busy, so…"

Gwen never hated herself more at that moment. "Well, I'm busy too!" Was the snappy reply, "Why don't you just get yourself some worksheets? You could train yourself that way."

The red-head didn't understand how she could have missed the obvious disappointment in Ben's tone, even though fairly speaking she _was_ pretty preoccupied by the most exciting book ever when the phone rang. "I…I guess…" The brunette sighed, closing his eyes in defeat. Without even saying goodbye, he hung up before the girl on the other side could say anything else.

Realizing just how it was like for Ben at home didn't help Gwen feel any better after being guilty of putting him in his coma. Of all Ben's history, she had to land in a recollection of the saddest and loneliest times Ben had to go through. Thinking about the poor boy being stuck in an unconscious state in reality made Gwen go back on track as she wondered how to move on to the next square. Suddenly conscious a soft crying sound issuing from within the pillows the girl had a the mad urge to get out of the room quick before her heart blew up from the sourness and pain.

The moment her body was free from the doorway and back into the thankfully-lighted corridor of the second floor, Gwen discovered that she was no longer in a house. She was standing in front of a closed-down candy shop on a deserted, extremely misty, gloomy, and way-creepy street.

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Okay, maybe a lot of OOC with the Sandra thing. Yes, I'm trying to go for the extreme-emotion memories kind of deal, if you know what I mean. Next chapter, can you guess what happens? Ask yourself this question: What usually happens when one is on a street that's all foggy and colourless and _all alone_?

Please review~


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